105 Responses

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1. October 10, 2006

   Brandon M

   Thanks Rebecca…great post!

2. October 10, 2006

   Tony S.

   TimF: I think Trader Joes has some pretty good selections. It’s just a lot of my friends that like wine, but don’t feel like trying, always buy the same, same, same wine from there. I picked up a really nice Australian Chard there (that I haven’t found since) that was really smooth, among others.

   But ya, what I meant was that they buy the same exact wines from there all the time.
   See you later,
   T

3. October 10, 2006

   Rebecca

   QOD: This story pertains to both wine and food stobbery. I am in the restaurant industry and could tell loads of stories of my experiences for the past 10 years as a chef and front-of-the-house manager. But, I choose this one and it’s long so, sorry to those that hate the long posts…..

   Almost 2 years ago I was invited to one of the best restaurants in NY; owned by, arguably, one of the best Chefs in the US. I was both honored and flattered to be invited and quite honestly, like a young kid inside, counting down until the day (Dec. 19th, 2004 – see I still remember the day because, to me, it was one of the highlights thus far in my food/wine career and hobby). Anyway, I was dining with several others that are truly what I call “wine-heads”. It was quite an experience to be in this restaurant, the atmosphere, the view of Columbus Circle and Central Park, the menu, the wine list, the service, just everything. To me, an opportunity I was going to savor every moment of, because, for all that I dine out, all the wine I drink, food I eat, whether expensive or affordable, it is just not everyday affair to dine at this particular restaurant. After a 5-hour experience, the Matre ‘d took us for a tour of the kitchens – WOW! Anyway, for months after this experience, one of the other guests at my table went on, and on, and on, retelling everyone he’d encountered how overhyped this restaurant was, the wine list, the food, just everything. He constantly “bragged” that he wasn’t impressed with the wines, he could have prepared the food better, and that plain and simple, his restaurant and wine list are better. I consider situations like this almost amusing; such ego and insecurity! (two traits that go hand-in-hand) This bragging person, happens to have been running restaurants for 25 years or more. Why can’t we all just go out and enjoy an experience and dine in a restaurant with an open mind to experience what a chef, or sommolier or owner are trying to communicate? No matter how developed our palates are or are not? Whether we are in the “business” or not? And respect others that are doing the same thing. Nonetheless, I still am delighted and it was a pinnical in my career to dine for an entire afternoon in that restaurant. I love the laugh I get inside when I am confronted with a “snob” customer. Just go out, have fun, eat, drink be merry – as the saying goes. Sure we are all looking for value, quality, etc. but, we only get to do this life thing once, right?

   On another note…Being confronted by “snobbish” customers once in a while really makes my WLTV time worth coming home to. I enjoy reading the comments and participating when I can. BTW, Brandon M., you crack me up and you teach me a lot, as do lot of other posters out there. Thanks to all in this forum and of course to Gary for the education and especially for your absolutely, not at all, would never become you, “snobbish” approach!
   Rebecca

4. October 10, 2006

   NickP

   Gary,
   Good episode – haven’t watched it until just now. Was at the Wine Spectacular last night – got to say hello directly to you. Great event – already planning to attend next year.
   For anyone going tonight, a few pointers based on my experience – get there early (before 5:30); make a plan based on the directory BEFORE you start tasting; SPIT or you’ll never make it through the whole night; if you want to get into bordeaux make your first stop the Bordeaux Pavillion – great vertical flights, all the regions represented, but gets real crowded; take food breaks every hour; make sure you get to Tables 19 & 20 for some incredible Spanish wines – the biggest surprise of the night for me (perhaps just points up my inexperience in that area); save the ports and armagnacs and the like for last. Have fun, it’s a great night!
   Nick P

5. October 10, 2006

   Brandon M

   Did Theisman really say 16-0 last night? The Bears are just smokin teams right now, but it’s a loooooooong season!

   Rammies…4-1 and we aint played sh*!

   B

6. October 10, 2006

   Sam Zen

   BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS… What’up G?

7. October 10, 2006

   CShell

   Gary,

   I recently drank my last bottle of ‘02 Saint Chinian Domaine Rimbert “Le Mas au Schiste” which I thought I got from “the Library” but I can’t seem to find a record of it in my orders so maybe not…but all of us were quite impressed by the terroir in this offering.

   Anyway, I was wonering if you’ve had this or similar wines (in both taste and price range) that you could recommend for us…maybe even a WLTV episode on wines from the same area and varietal.

   Keep up the great work and always bring the passion brotha!!

8. October 10, 2006

   Jim

   Gary;

   Several years ago we lived in Jersey and I used to buy a lot of wine from you as you were just starting out your revamped wine store. Around the time of your grand reopening I remember your taking me down to the basement and showing the great collection of old wines you had acquired. It was awesome. Perhaps some day you will be able to ship to Indiana.

   Regarding wine snob stories, a few years ago our one of our local restaurants had Bollinger NV Cuvee on the wine list for $40 per bottle ( somewhat more today,but still a good value), a great value in a restaurant. At the same time we were in Chicago and went to a very fine, highly Zagat rated restaurant. Their price for the same bottle of champagne was $120! All of their wines seemed to be similarly marked up. Needless to way, we passed on wine that night.

9. October 10, 2006

   TimF

   Tony S.: J’accuse! “Same old-same old” from Trader Joes?!? Trader Joes has some pretty good stuff. I just picked up a bottle of Sanford Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara 2004) for 23 bones the other day!

10. October 10, 2006

    Eugene

    SS Chris
    In the spreadsheet you should change the column header from GV Rating to VayneRating.

    And since you’re using vaynerPass, vaynerGo or vaynerYes should be introduced.

    PS: when I see SS Chris I keep thinking “Stainless Steel”. You should do something about it :=).

11. October 10, 2006

    Matt G

    Hello

12. October 10, 2006

    Tony S.

    Hey Brandon M.,

    Regarding comment 28…that is totally annoying.

    I forgot about being called a wine snob by my friends that like wine, but aren’t that much into it, and when I say I don’t like a wine they think I’m being snobby. But it’s not as often as it used to be, they’ve all started to slowly experiment by going to a wine shop rather than getting the same old-same old from Trader Joe’s or a grocery store.

    See you later,
    Go Bears,
    T

13. October 10, 2006

    SNoethen

    Hi Gary,

    within this episode you really did something that made me change from a lurker to a poster.
    By showing how to decant a wine, you’ve put some of the Neo into the decanter with the Brunello in it!!

    Great idea!
    I had no problem watching the last 100 episodes without really feeling any need to comment your show.
    It is great. It’s entertaining and I like it very much.
    Nothing I had to comment, but by mixing those wines together you caught me.

    Greetings from Germany

    Stephan

14. October 10, 2006

    MikeMe

    Gary, you say it is cool to have your name mentioned with RP from the article but do you realize the suprise and honor to get a shout out from you wishing me a happy 45th? After a crazy day at work I was catching up on my “Gary Vision” and was stunned! I love that Caleb (pronounced Kale-ub) sent you an email – we sometimes watch the show together and he works down at the winery with me when he can. He is great kid, 18, and heading to the Navy soon. I was wondering why I had so many unique hits on my site (sorry to those who do not use IE, slideshows and other plug-ins do not work with other browsers). Thanks Gary – you have changed my tasting life! Best wine that night was the 02 Caymus Cab.

    TimF – I make wine and work at Edmonds Winery as-well-as volunteer as much as I can at three other local wineries. We plan on heading back to CA in April (bud break) to hit some of wineries we missed last trip. I wish I could make the trip out for Super Tasting but just too busy with wine duties. Just a tip if you come to WA wineries; many do not charge for tasting. The few who do charge usually apply the cost back toward purchase.

    I have seen wine snobs in many places but for us it has usually been a pourer at a winery when we visit for tasting. Most recent snob issue it was a rep from a local wine club I met at a wine event.

15. October 10, 2006

    cgf

    Gary,
    great episode. For the QOD, I would echo what a couple of people said above about being young and getting talked down to. Two summers ago my friends and I did a cross-country road trip for a month and a half after graduation and spent some time in San Luis Obispo, Napa, Sonoma, and Oregon. So many times we would get talked down to (esp. in Napa) or ignored in wineries because we were young fratty looking guys. It was really frustrating, especially since we really wanted to learn and enjoy the wine, and we were not there to get hammered.
    And also, 25 episodes? What are you nuts? I look forward to when you taste those ports fully matured.

16. October 10, 2006

    GOL's Girl

    I’m a lurker posting for the first time (per Gary’s request)!
    Love the show!
    Here’s my question: Do you think the “wine essence” smelling kits are worth purchasing? GOL needs help because his knowledge of smells isn’t as good as mine. LOL
    Thanks!

17. October 9, 2006

    Dan G.

    Oh gary was think about you concept of the Jets. I think the Steelers have the same one. 1st rd draft pick in 2007.

18. October 9, 2006

    Dan G.

    Very funny show. You have only been doing WLTV for what 7-8 months and its making waves. Man you must be doing something right. Keep up the excellent work because you have a lot more than 25 shows left in you.

    No wine snobbery that I can actually remember. What kind of animal am I: how about an ASS:)

    Hey Chris M. 90210 = Grain Alcohol

    Greg S. wasnt a good weekend for Steeler fans either. At least we didnt get blown out. Then again my Stankees did again in another crappy post season. Damn what a weekend.

19. October 9, 2006

    Big Billy from Big D

    An experience sending wine back.

    There is a restaurant that my wife and I used to enjoy. It had a menu with some ambition with no entrée over $35, balanced with a wine list that I would call affordable. The most popular red was Bonny Doon Big House Red with choices that ranged up to around $80. Their upper end mark up ran to 2-1/2 times retail. They stored their red wines in racks by the open kitchen. I need to mention the restaurant is in Dallas, Texas.

    The last time we ate there it was a Tuesday night. The wine/beverage manager had posted a special with substantial discounts on the upper registers of the wine list. With the offer of a bargain I ordered their top Cali Cab (sorry I can’t remember the specifics). When they opened and poured I couldn’t taste ant fruit just alchohol with a faint tarry flavor – the wine was cooked and I said so. The waiter hustled up the bottle and left. I guess I was the first person to ever refuse a wine offered, and it was the first time I had ever sent one back.

    He returned and asked me if I would like to try another. I ordered a different wine to take advantage of the offer, with the same result. On the third try I just went to their old stand by – Big House Red. The BHR tasted of some fruit, and smelled of some fruit, it was fine. The waiter then told me that the manager had tasted the two earlier refusals and informed me that there was nothing wrong with them.

    I was shocked that they did the right thing, and then turned it into the wrong thing. The Bonny Doon BHR was fine because its inventory turned over frequently and did not dwell long in the sweltering “cellar” by the kitchen. The pricier bottles endured probably 20 to 30 degree daily temperature swings as they waited much longer for some one to free them from their very warm cellar. Eventually the heat got to them. I’m sure the distributor would have credited them.

    We haven’t been back. I liked the kitchen, but hated their little hellish cellar.

    Cheers

20. October 9, 2006

    MarcT

    Gary,
    I have a serious question (not that the WLTV party question should be ignored).
    Vibration…
    I have a decent wine cooler and use it for the bottles that I want to age for an extended period of time. Recently the compressor of the unit has started to cause vibration when it kicks on. The vibration is noticeable even in the floor so I know that the wine is getting some/maybe a lot of vibration as well.
    I have read and heard that vibration is bad for wines but how bad is it really? In the grand scheme of things am I hurting my wines? I have been in the market for a new and larger cooler all ready due to my growing collection and the number of ’05 Bordeaux futures I have purchased but I want to know how critical it is that I move my collector wines from the vibrating cooler now.
    Does anyone have any advice or help?
    I am looking at some of the compressor free units but the price is outrageous. I could dig a cellar in my back yard for the price of one of the 100 bottle units!!!

21. October 9, 2006

    Rick

    All wines will be judged using the “Peterson Method” which was
    developed for us by Richard Peterson PhD. Most other wine competitions bring wines
    to the judges in flights of 10 to 15 wines at a time, then each wine is judged separately
    and given an award or not. Under the “Peterson Method,” wines are brought to the judge’s
    table in flights of 25 to 50 wines, depending on the varietal and how many wines are
    entered. Each of the four judges on a panel will first smell a wine, then arranged it into
    3 categories according to each judge’s own criteria. The judge then re-smells the wines
    in each category and places them in a “ranking” order. Finally, the wines are then tasted
    and rearranged again in a “ranking” order and awards are given. This system helps our
    judges find the best wines without fatiguing their palates unnecessarily.

22. October 9, 2006

    Dennis

    Gary,
    You have some of the most unsual descriptions for wines – “taste like skiddles”, or recently like the toy “strawberry shortcake.” My niece had the collection and the smell always got to me. Next you be referring to a jammy taste reminding you of the villian “Purple Pie Man.” Seriously, your descriptions makes this fun to watch.

23. October 9, 2006

    Wildebeest

    QOD: I’d have to say that my favorite experience of snobbery was the one I witnessed a couple Thanksgivings ago. I have two uncles who don’t get along very well, so every Thanksgiving dinner promises an entertaining clash of wills shrouded in the guise of politeness. This particular Thanksgiving featured the most direct contest between the two that I’ve seen to date, and it was played out via wine. Do my delight, each uncle brought out a better bottle than the last, in an effort to trump the other. This went on for quite some time, and with the wines only getting better and better, I’d be damned if I didn’t get a taste of every last one!

    That’s my favorite example. My least favorite example is the owner of a local shop which caters primarily to the most wealthy members of the small community in which I live. She knows very little about wine, despite the fact that she sells a ton of it, but covers up her lack of knowledge by becoming as snobbish as possible anytime she’s asked a question she doesn’t understand.

    Hmm… I actually sounded a little snobbish in that last paragraph. I suppose I operate under the assumption that being a long-haired Mexican male college student with no money precludes me from being considered a snob.

    - Will

24. October 9, 2006

    Flemboy

    Wine Snobbery (sp) – Nov/2004
    We were at a restaurant in Napa, Tre Vigne, celebrating a friends 50th birthday. There were 16 people for the celebration and I took a bottle 1990 Leroy Pommard Les Vignots. The waiter had a bit of an attitude that I would bring a French wine and proceeded to open it while examining the label. It had a wax cap and he struggled with it a bit, but eventually got it open. I asked him if he could decant it and he seemed annoyed at this. I was trying to be a good guy and I typically offer the waiter a taste of the wine if I bring a bottle into an establishment.

    I will never forget the look on his face as he took a drink of the wine; he took a deep snoot full looked at the glass, exhaled, took a small drink, then finished off the glass and said “tastes like grapefruit”! He then walked away…

    Needless to say, the dinner did not go so well, but everyone else enjoyed the Leroy “grapefruit” wine and asked if I had anymore. Actually, it was pretty memorable wine. Probably the top two I have ever tasted.

25. October 9, 2006

    SS Chris

    Tony, Thanks for posting the links to your column….loved the articles.

    When you post new articles, could you post a link for all Vaniacs?

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